Children Should Be Students, Not SoldiersShow your support for the Children, Not Soldiers campaign which seeks to galvanize support to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children by national security forces by 2016.

News at The Hunger Site: News and information at The Hunger Site

Somalia sees huge drop in humanitarian funding

Despite its continued need for humanitarian assistance, Somalia is seeing a drop in aid of close to 41 percent between the years of 2008 and 2010, according to a new report from AfriqueJet.com.

About 2.4 million people are displaced in the country and malnutrition is a continuous problem for many children in Somalia.

"Almost a third of the country’s population are currently living in dire conditions as a result of the ongoing conflict and violence, compounded by the drought affecting Somalia, one of the worst in recent memory," said Jean Ping, the African Union Commission Chairperson. "The international community has the duty and obligation to assist the Somali people, who have been experiencing two decades of untold violence and suffering."

Somalia has a population of almost 10 million people, with a median age of only 17.8 years, according to the CIA World Factbook. Located on the border of the Indian Ocean, bordering Ethiopia and Kenya, Somalia has a GDP per capita of $600 as of 2010. The country's labor force is 71 percent composed of those working in agriculture, and its external debt is estimated to be about $3 billion as of 2001.

Related Articles

Apr 9, 2013:
A teenager's mother walked eight hours with her daughter through extreme terrain every three weeks to get her the care she needed. The hospital staff matched that commitment by asking people around the world to help.